Pigs...

Penny is having major trouble with constipation. I have tried to help her in every way possible way from enemas- three different kinds, warm water concoctions, compresses , emailing and calling vets.

My vets cover a ton of ground and Ken shares his talents on Grouse Mountain but did answer my page and i took his advice to action. Herman also awesome as far as helping any way he can, a mobile vet he was on his way to Gibson's. The vet in town who took my call yesterday admitting the problem was something he had no experience in would not take my call today.

I took there advice , used some of my own (homeopathic) and Preparation H to bring swelling down on what looked like a partial prolapse. My friend and a vet in the States emailed this morning and on her words i called Ag West. Another mobile vet i forgot about in my overloaded days. Penny unable to take a poop and my rubber glove treatment on top of everything else i tried wasn't doing it for either one of us. She is such a good girl and putting up with me as much as she can and of course i was making sure she got pain killers too.

While waiting for the vet I decided i had time to let Don Juan out for a while. Don is a skookum looking pig , weighing approx 175 lbs and built like the hulk hogen of pigs.

I came back outside to hang out with him and walked up to him to coo speciel words to him and i noticed out of the corner of my eye he was chomping and looking at my foot. I recognised this to be him ready to challange me so i said NO and he came at me. THE FIGHT WAS ON!!! He came at me full boar!!!

Knowing every time i backed up to grab something to defend myself he saw this as a weakness and charged me LOL The rubber leaf rake was no match and even though i was shoving it in his face he bit at it and i was ready to leap into the box of my truck. To know pigs is to understand them and that is i can't show weakness and no matter what i have to to do I have to win this fight. With out any proper blocking boards here i grabbed for the tin garbage can lid and then saw the plastic baseball bat on the bench.

Know that Dons pen in measurements is approx one half block away but it is up the driveway and across the pasture , around the mud wallow and past two other pens.

Armed like a gladiator i shoved him back with the lid and he came back at me full force. Using my foot , every time i shoved him back with the lid i shoved him trying to take him off balance at the shoulder. But each time he came right back at me, grabbing the lid and biting at it . Backing him up the driveway with everything i had physically and then shoving him back under the fence and across the pasture. I didn't think I was going to make it. But you can't give up and run LOL . My mind was racing didn't anyone driving by see me fighting a pot belly pig in my pasture??? I tell you when i got him back in that pen i went down to my knees in exhaustion.

Don know doubt felt my weakness with everything that is going on around here and my fear for Penny. This is the way of pigs, and this big boy who needs to be neutered wanted me out of his herd and to knock me back down the ladder for position. I have been around pigs now for 16 years. This is only the second pig who came into my life who would not back down immediatley. This will not be the last time with him and this is the only picture i could find of him in haste to show you.

Danielle arrived shortly after with a car full of produce for the pigs and was just leaving when Jean arrived from the island with another truck load of apples.

Brent, my vet got here and we crawled into Penny's house while he helped relieve Penny and what a nice guy. Penny was sooooooooooooooooo good and in the few minutes we worked with her Brent let up when she began to struggle from my hold . He left us after discussing her care and how else i could help her. Not a prolapse but nodular tumours and the obvious fact she is constipated , he felt no tumors when inside.

Jean and i then took boxes of produce around to all of the pigs and yes i walked into Don Juan's pen too. He ran off to his bowl position and i left his pile of greens and turned my back on him. But oh yes i was watching him out of the corner of my eye lol . Pigs!!!!!!!!!

Jean and i then jumped in the truck and went shopping at both the health food store and the grocery store to fill our list for both Penny's and my needs.

A crazy day between Don and Penny, a vet call and we are rich in produce again. I am not sure this is how Jean envisioned her day spent with me here but i am so thank full she did.